Ye Olde Message Board
To Understand why and how people become so rude and illiterate, one needs to journey to the ancient days when communicating with people on the Internet was new and exciting.
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When the choices are between decency and slime..........
In America, the Internet became commercially available in 1990.
Previously it existed for the Military and was extended to Universities. It became bigger and more accessible, and depending on where one lived, arrival in Cyberspace might have been as early as 1991 or as late as 1995.
Because it was expensive, because it was an acquired taste, those in other parts of the world often became the best and brightest.
The Indonesian government minister, the Barbadian Barrister, the Scientist in Norway assumed that everyone they would encounter had a level of upbringing not unlike their own. Hence they were more than willing to communicate.
In America, the influx of subhuman morons chased people who knew how to wash their hands after leaving the toilet from interpersonal communication.
By 1998 although one might find intelligent, reasonable people, they would not be Americans and not on a public Message Board or Forum.
The Troll became more the pattern than the anomaly.
Previously it existed for the Military and was extended to Universities. It became bigger and more accessible, and depending on where one lived, arrival in Cyberspace might have been as early as 1991 or as late as 1995.
Because it was expensive, because it was an acquired taste, those in other parts of the world often became the best and brightest.
The Indonesian government minister, the Barbadian Barrister, the Scientist in Norway assumed that everyone they would encounter had a level of upbringing not unlike their own. Hence they were more than willing to communicate.
In America, the influx of subhuman morons chased people who knew how to wash their hands after leaving the toilet from interpersonal communication.
By 1998 although one might find intelligent, reasonable people, they would not be Americans and not on a public Message Board or Forum.
The Troll became more the pattern than the anomaly.
Step Lively
To protect yourself from random rudeness, Trolls, and other subhuman morons, use caution.
When you join a Message Board or Forum, regardless what it claims to be about, or how many moderators it claims have, or the previous high standard of contribution, remember anything that can be hacked, will be hacked.
Don't be fooled by the name or purpose. Perversion is always possible. The 'majority' rules. The 'owner' of the forum, who might not be the moderator, only sees numbers. One hundred members, one thousand members, and will move with the crowd.
Those ads which fill space are more important to the Owner than the content of the site. Advertisers are interested in traffic. And pay for traffic the same way an advertiser pays for a spot during the Super Bowl.
Hence you, who had joined a site discussing Women's Health might have protested when it became full of men describing anal sex. But since there are 2976 men wanting to discuss anal sex and 23 women on the Women's Heath Forum not wanting to discuss it; guess who wins?
I give this very graphic example to warn you; before you make the first key stroke, share those important or personal ideas, realise how unsecure your transmission and take what steps you can to mask your identity, protect your privacy.
When you join a Message Board or Forum, regardless what it claims to be about, or how many moderators it claims have, or the previous high standard of contribution, remember anything that can be hacked, will be hacked.
Don't be fooled by the name or purpose. Perversion is always possible. The 'majority' rules. The 'owner' of the forum, who might not be the moderator, only sees numbers. One hundred members, one thousand members, and will move with the crowd.
Those ads which fill space are more important to the Owner than the content of the site. Advertisers are interested in traffic. And pay for traffic the same way an advertiser pays for a spot during the Super Bowl.
Hence you, who had joined a site discussing Women's Health might have protested when it became full of men describing anal sex. But since there are 2976 men wanting to discuss anal sex and 23 women on the Women's Heath Forum not wanting to discuss it; guess who wins?
I give this very graphic example to warn you; before you make the first key stroke, share those important or personal ideas, realise how unsecure your transmission and take what steps you can to mask your identity, protect your privacy.
Always use a nickname. Whether you go for the clear mask of 'Worf' or the false identity of David Dell, do not be too specific about where you live, your sex, your actual position or status. Dealing with mammals is treacherous.
As I mentioned in Cybersafety you can't know Sponge Bob is a forty seven year old pederast who lives a few doors down when he describes himself as eight years old and living in Distant City.
You can't know that the friendly woman on that M.B. is confined to a mental institution and will, gaining your real email and name make your life very unhappy.
Lying is your safety.
Even where you are certain that this chap is who he says he is, lives where he says he does, have a care.
As I mentioned in Cybersafety you can't know Sponge Bob is a forty seven year old pederast who lives a few doors down when he describes himself as eight years old and living in Distant City.
You can't know that the friendly woman on that M.B. is confined to a mental institution and will, gaining your real email and name make your life very unhappy.
Lying is your safety.
Even where you are certain that this chap is who he says he is, lives where he says he does, have a care.
Acting Out
Many people use Message Boards instead of going to their therapy sessions. They create personas and invest them with a depth that their psyche needs. They want to be this avatar and believe they are this avatar.
The gal living on the dole in England needs to pretend she knows this celebrity, maybe imagines she's his wife or girlfriend or her nameless bastards are his children.
The guy living in the basement of his mother's house might imagine he is a thirty year old playboy with armies of nubile girls chasing him.
On this message board which could be set up for any topic, related or unrelated, s/he lives the fantasy. It is so important to maintain the integrity of their 'character' s/he will stop at nothing to 'convince' you and 'prove' they are who they want to be.
You, seeing through their lies react then be subject to their insanity.
Others have specific 'portfolios'.
The gal living on the dole in England needs to pretend she knows this celebrity, maybe imagines she's his wife or girlfriend or her nameless bastards are his children.
The guy living in the basement of his mother's house might imagine he is a thirty year old playboy with armies of nubile girls chasing him.
On this message board which could be set up for any topic, related or unrelated, s/he lives the fantasy. It is so important to maintain the integrity of their 'character' s/he will stop at nothing to 'convince' you and 'prove' they are who they want to be.
You, seeing through their lies react then be subject to their insanity.
Others have specific 'portfolios'.
Pretending to be straight married men, homosexuals join sites they perceive to be 'anti-gay'. They will use false names and post pictures of heterosexual couples, claiming to be the husband. After a few bland posts when they feel they have gained credence for their character, they put forward the 'agenda' for their organisation.
That they are not the 'objective' hetero male but an agent of a gay group may not be discerned by the average member of the message board.
This kind of deception is not limited to Gays. It is a political tool used as a 'dirty trick'.
Hence anyone who is on a Message Board claiming to belong to the majority, expressing opinions which are anti the majority are often deceivers.
That they are not the 'objective' hetero male but an agent of a gay group may not be discerned by the average member of the message board.
This kind of deception is not limited to Gays. It is a political tool used as a 'dirty trick'.
Hence anyone who is on a Message Board claiming to belong to the majority, expressing opinions which are anti the majority are often deceivers.
How To Play
When you join the Message Board of Forum, you use a false name and your spam box as your email account. You use some image that is not you.
Express your opinions but not your attribution, and don't use anything you are personally involved with or identified with as an example. Do not believe anything or anyone is what they seem.
Do not Feed Trolls, ignore them.
Everyone who wants to be your friend, who wants to email you, no matter how good they sound, keep them in your spam box and do not give them your real name or address. It is better to claim to live in Manchester when you live in Liverpool, claim to be George Bows when you are Gerry Brownlea.
As soon as you notice the Message Board is trending away from its 'purpose', make your decision to leave.
Anything you have posted which feels, on second reading, to be too personal or if in general you don't want any bit of you to be there, find a time when the M.B. is fairly deserted and edit all your posts to gibberish.
Many times deletion will be picked up by the Mod who for his/her reason will replace with backups. Turning older threads to gibberish will not be picked up immediately, and might, by the time it is noticed actually be the backup.
By gibberish I mean turning a paragraph as above into;
Aytou ated weels, ocondadine trsonal nenyonwa aof ybe thefd mehen tsaily derteadill oposto gantdion lbeickup heod whiseon wplahem burolder thgierish tiot bickp.
If you have gone to the earliest posts you have made, working forward, leaving the most recent alone, the 'editing' should not be noted.
Make few posts during your final 'week' (before your editing) so that there are about ten posts which are something like; "Yes." "LOL" "I agree" "Well said"..... junk posts which do not betray your intentions.
After turning your stuff to mush leave the site. Do not advertise your departure.
Express your opinions but not your attribution, and don't use anything you are personally involved with or identified with as an example. Do not believe anything or anyone is what they seem.
Do not Feed Trolls, ignore them.
Everyone who wants to be your friend, who wants to email you, no matter how good they sound, keep them in your spam box and do not give them your real name or address. It is better to claim to live in Manchester when you live in Liverpool, claim to be George Bows when you are Gerry Brownlea.
As soon as you notice the Message Board is trending away from its 'purpose', make your decision to leave.
Anything you have posted which feels, on second reading, to be too personal or if in general you don't want any bit of you to be there, find a time when the M.B. is fairly deserted and edit all your posts to gibberish.
Many times deletion will be picked up by the Mod who for his/her reason will replace with backups. Turning older threads to gibberish will not be picked up immediately, and might, by the time it is noticed actually be the backup.
By gibberish I mean turning a paragraph as above into;
Aytou ated weels, ocondadine trsonal nenyonwa aof ybe thefd mehen tsaily derteadill oposto gantdion lbeickup heod whiseon wplahem burolder thgierish tiot bickp.
If you have gone to the earliest posts you have made, working forward, leaving the most recent alone, the 'editing' should not be noted.
Make few posts during your final 'week' (before your editing) so that there are about ten posts which are something like; "Yes." "LOL" "I agree" "Well said"..... junk posts which do not betray your intentions.
After turning your stuff to mush leave the site. Do not advertise your departure.
So why Bother?
Interaction with other mammals is part of living in society. Seeing how other people think, experiencing how they construct reality is never a waste of time. It is a waste of time if you automatically believe what you are told, and imagine that you are talking to normal people.
Yes there are normal people, yes there are many ideas that are being shared, yes you may get excellent advice and insights. But as long as you appreciate it is likely that Dr. Thought is a 19 year old Toll Booth Operator, or Sexy Sal is a 58 year old morbidly obese slob, you'll be safe.
And safety is key.
Yes there are normal people, yes there are many ideas that are being shared, yes you may get excellent advice and insights. But as long as you appreciate it is likely that Dr. Thought is a 19 year old Toll Booth Operator, or Sexy Sal is a 58 year old morbidly obese slob, you'll be safe.
And safety is key.